It's Not Everything
by senrraa
Summary: Charon's contract is ripped up and he reacts badly. Thankfully his former employer can handle him. Rated M for violence and sex. M!LW/Charon


It had been weighing heavily on Harper's chest. The past few days had been an absolute pain. Charon was back to hardly speaking and this was becoming a little like chewing rocks. It felt like Harper kept glancing over at Charon every few minutes. Time had seemed to slow down now that they were camping, settled around a small fire, safe in a shack with frag mines scattered about outside for extra security. The opening in the roof let the smoke drift away and a few stars could be seen like freckles dotting the inky darkness. The haze of smoke made Charon's outline on the other side of the fire seem to flicker, like one of those old world holograms or a projection from a holotape film.

Charon sat there, stoic, and quiet and Harper felt himself shift uncomfortably, trying to not stare at the larger man. Charon stood up and stretched, deliberately ignoring his employer. Three days. It had been three days since THAT day. Since Harper had ruined everything. Charon had started to open up. He's started talking just a tiny bit more, seeming to have grown used to his new boss. But then, Harper had admitted his feelings, stood up on tiptoes and pressed his lips to Charon's. The other man hadn't taken it well. He had shoved Harper to the ground and growled, "Don't ever do that again. My contract doesn't give you that right and as an employer of mine, we will not be involved, is that understood?"

Harper had nodded, feeling like a humiliated child. Things hadn't been the same.

"Fuck," He hissed glaring into the fire and then his eyes followed the form of Charon as he opened his pack and pulled out another beer. Harper's eyes narrowed further. "You know what?" He growled, standing up and meeting the ghoul's eyes. "Fuck you."

"What?" Came the growled response as the ghoul seemed stunned for a moment.

Harper rushed for his pack and dug around inside it, finding his notebook that he liked to write in sometimes. Tucked in the front cover was a worn slip of paper, folded several times and nearly falling apart.

He spun around and waved it in Charon's face. "You clearly have been enjoying yourself with your newfound freedom with me, but you're still always on that 'my contract says' bullshit." Charon took a step forward but Harper ducked around him, using his smaller size to his advantage. Harper really wasn't that small, but next to Charon, he looked like a kid. He got around to the other side of the fire, still holding up the contract. "Nothing I've done for you has been simply because I'm your boss, and I'm sick of you only doing things for me because you feel you have to. I've tried to explain to you that that's not what I want." He extended his arm towards the fire.

"Kid," Charon snarled, dropping his beer bottle and rushing towards Harper.

Harper threw the contract in the fire and threw himself at Charon. The ghoul tried to throw the smoothskin off, desparately trying to get to his contract, but Harper hung on tightly and punched Charon in the face.

The ghoul grunted, surprised Harper would ever do that. He countered with a punch of his own, rolling the two and pressing a heavy knee into the kid's stomach.

Harper flung his hand out wildly and clawed at Charon, fingernails catching his forehead. Charon pulled his fist back and punched the kid again, quickly getting to his feet and landing a solid kick to the kid's side. He then whirled around to face the fire as Harper rolled over, coughing.

The fire looked like just a fire. Nothing but ash and wood. There was a small, thin sheet of black that crumbled into ash as it burned into nothing and was gone. Charon watched what he assumed was his contract for a long time. The ashes disappearing beneath other ashes and becoming indistinguishable. It was gone.

Harper was saying something, but Charon wasn't paying attention. It was gone. It was fucking gone. In his mind, there was nothing. It was just him and the fire and the only connection to the real world he had had been burned away.

"Hey asshole," Harper grabbed Charon's arm and jerked him to face the angry vaultie's face. "It's gone," He spat. "Get over it."

Charon bared his teeth, shoving the kid against the counter and glaring into his eyes with all the hatred he could muster.

"What, you're going to kill me now?" Harper looked resigned, like he didn't care anymore. He just stared blankly at the ghoul with a faint glint of challenge in his eyes. "You fucking know I care about you. You're kind of a dick. But for some reason, I fucking care about you."

Charon pulled his fist back and Harper flinched, despite all his bravado. Charon stopped. His glare fell and he stared at the kid who had pulled him out of the hell pit that had been the Ninth Circle. He had protected Charon even though it had been Charon's job to protect him. "You little shit," He spat, smashing his lips against the other man's, feeling their teeth clack together and the sharp inhale of breath from the surprised Vaultie.

Charon gripped the smoothskin's hip and hoisted him up on the counter. He was still taller than Harper was. He pulled well muscled legs around his own hips and ground against him. Harper sucked in a breath, gritting his teeth. Charon pulled back and stared the Lone Wanderer fully in the face. "You really want me, kid?"

The nineteen year old nodded. "You know I do." Somehow his face didn't seem as hostile, despite the furrowed brows and the set jaw.

"Good," Charon rumbled, picking up Harper and laying him on the ground.


End file.
